The attorney representing a former JPMorgan investment banker has suddenly stepped away from the Lorna Hajdini case, just hours before a scheduled court hearing.
Daniel Kaiser, a high-profile lawyer who previously represented accusers of deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has filed documents with the New York Supreme Court to be officially “discharged” as the accuser’s attorney. Kaiser notified the court he was no longer representing his client and that the accuser would temporarily be representing himself, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The timing was particularly striking as the withdrawal came just hours before the accuser was due to appear in court on Tuesday to argue for his right to be listed only as “John Doe” in court records, rather than by his real name, according to New York Post. Court filings revealed that the accuser does not currently have a new lawyer lined up.
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What is this case about?
The accuser, a former JPMorgan investment banker had filed a lawsuit making explosive claims against JPMorgan executive Lorna Hajdini, alleging that she had turned him into a “sex slave.” Hajdini has since filed defamation claims against the accuser in response.
The accuser, who WSJ identified as Chirayu Rana, also later submitted what he described as new evidence, including anonymous witness statements about alleged encounters with Lorna Hajdini in September 2024.
A witness who said he was a family friend of the accuser claimed he was staying at a New York City apartment when Lorna Hajdini allegedly woke him up late at night with drunken behavior. The witness said a “completely naked” Hajdini sat near him, smoked a cigarette and repeatedly asked him to “join them” in the bedroom. After he refused, the witness claimed Hajdini said, “you know I own [redacted], so you better come join.”
The accuser has also submitted his own statement saying the alleged incidents left him with PTSD which was supported by a letter from executive psychotherapist Johnathan Alpert confirming the diagnosis. In a June 2025 email to Alpert, the accuser wrote that he had “not slept in weeks” and was “unable to eat,” and that he was hearing Hajdini’s voice in his head, according to the New York Post.
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Where do JPMorgan and Hajdini stand?
Both JPMorgan and Hajdini have strongly denied all allegations. Multiple sources told the New York Post earlier that JPMorgan’s internal investigation, which reviewed emails, records and devices found zero evidence of any wrongdoing. However, throughout the case, Kaiser had been a vocal defender of the accuser’s allegations.
